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If you regularly produce digital movies, you may have already found out that uploading full-length videos to websites can be challenging. For legal or technical reasons, most websites do not allow the upload of full-length videos. If you want to upload a full-length video to your Facebook Timeline, you can do so by following one of two different procedures, depending on whether your video is shorter or longer than 20 minutes.

Video Length 20 Minutes or Less

1. Visit the Facebook homepage and log in to your account.

2. Click on the "Add Photo/Video" link at the top of the page.

3. Select "Upload Photo/Video."

4. Click on the "Choose file" button and use the file browser to locate the video file on your computer's hard drive. Click on "Open."

5. Click on the "Post" button and select "Okay." A new window opens, containing a progress bar that will keep you informed on your upload's status. After the video is correctly uploaded, Facebook automatically displays it on your Timeline.

Video Length Longer Than 20 Minutes

1. Open your Web browser navigate to YouTube. Log in to your YouTube account and navigate to the "Upload Video Files" page (link in Resources).

2. Click on the "Increase your limit" link, select your country and enter your phone number to verify your account. YouTube will send a code to your phone which you will then enter on the next page. Because allowing unverified users to upload full-length videos could potentially result in copyright violations, YouTube requires a user to verify his account before letting him upload long videos. After YouTube has finished verifying your account, return to the "Upload Video Files" page.

3. Click on the "Select files from your computer" button and choose the video you wish to upload.

4. Enter a title for your video and, optionally, a description. Wait for your computer to finish uploading the video file. Once the video has been correctly uploaded, a link to your video will appear on the page. Click on it.

5. Select "Share" and click on the "Facebook" icon. Click on the "Post" button to share the video on your Timeline.

Warnings

Do not upload copyrighted content to your Timeline, such as Hollywood movies or TV shows. Your Facebook account could be shut down.

YouTube does not allow users who have previously received a copyright-infringement notice to upload videos longer than its standard of 15 minutes.

About the Author

Jane Buchanan earned a master's degree in computer science from the University of Virginia in 1991. Since then, she has worked as a journalist and copy editor for the "Daily Press" and the "Arlington Connection."